Base-ball indicator-board.



H. B. L. TAGGAR-T n 0. B. WGRTMAN.

BASE BALL INDICATOR BOARD.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 25, 1908.

1,118,597 Patented Nov. 24, 1914.

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H. B.` Ll TAGGART L 0. B. WORTMAN. BASE BALL INDIGATOR BOARD.

APPLICATION FILED JULY z5, 190s.

1 l l 8,597. Patented Nov. 24, 1914.

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HERBERT B. L. TAGGART AND OLIVER B. WORTMAN, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

BASE-BALL INDICATOR-BOARD.

Spccication of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 24, 1914.

Application filed July 25, 1908. Serial No. 445,310.

To all 'whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that we, HERBERT B. L. TAG- GART and OLIVER B. WORTMAN, citizens of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Base-Ball Indicator-Boards, of which the following is a specilication.

This invention is a novel form of base-ball indicator 0r score-board, the object of the invention being to graphically indicate by means of a series of electric lights all of the various operations and moves which take place during an ordinary game of base-ball, such as thepitching of the ball, the batting of the ball, the running of the batter and the running of the base-runner.

Another object of the invention is to provide an indicating board which will not only show thedirection of the ball when batted but will also show what happens to it and also show the further movements of the ball after it has been caught or picked up by the players.

Another object of the invention is to provide for a correctindication of the movement of the batter and runner so as to show his ultimate fate and a still further object is to provide an indicating board by means of which the movements of all. the base runners as well as the batter can be indicated at one and the same time.

Another object of the invention is to provide for the successive illumination of the lights which indicate the travel of the ball and the movement of the base-runner, thereby providing a thoroughly realistic representation of the game of base-ball.

With these vvarious objects in view our invention consists in the features of construction and combination hereinafter fully described and pointed out in the claim.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification:-Figure l is a faceview of our improved construction of board. Fig. 2 is a face view of the switch-board for operating the lights of the indicating board. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the traveling contact. FiO. 4 is a top plan view of the same, and ig. 5 is a detail sectional view of the contact locked in position at one of the points or stations to indicate the position of either the ball or a runner.

In` carrying out our invention we employ a board A which may be any size desired f and at the points B we arrange the inca-ndescent lights which are preferably colored green and which are positioned to indicate the various positions of a base-ball field, such as the pitcher, catcher, first base, second base, short-stop, and iielders, and it will be noted that these lights are arranged 1n the positions which these players ordinarily` occupy during a game of ball. lVe also arrangev a series of lights C in the form of a diamond and extending from the home plate to first base, from iirst base to second base and so on, and these lights are preferably colored red and they are intended to indicate the line of travel of the batter and base-runner. We also provide a third-set of lights D said lights being white or transparent 'and these are intended to indicate the line of travel of the ball, and it will be noted that one series D extends from the pitcher through the home-plate and beyond the catcher, and when these lights are successively illuminated they indicate the line of travel of the ball from the pitcher toward the home-plate.

D2 indicates a series of lights extending from the home-plate to first-base, D3 a series extending from the home-plate to the rightfield and branching off from this series D3 is a branch-series D4 extending off from the right-field. Other series of white lights extend from first-base to second, from second to third through the short-stop and from third to home. They also extend from short-stop to home and from short-sto to lirst-base, from the home to the centereld, from the homc to thc left-field through the short stop and both the center-field and lefteld series are provided with a branch series in the same manner as the right-field series is provided with a branch. By means of these series of lights we are able to indicate every possible play which may occur during the game, thus if the batter hits the ball, to the right-field the line of lights D3 is illuminated, the lamps being successively lighted, thereby indicating in a realistic manner the line of travel of the ball. If the ball is caught by the right-fielder the line of lights travels straight down the line D3 and the illumination terminates in a green light B indicating the right-fielder and the illumination of this green-light indicates that the batter is out by the right-fielder catching the fly-ball. On -the other hand should the right-fielder fail to catch the ball, or if he should pick it up on a bounce then the illumination of the branch line of lights l)4 would take place indicating that the batter had made a safe hit. Now the moment the batter strikes the ball he of course begins to run, and We then illuminate in successive order the series of lights C 'extending from the home-plate to rst base, and as these lights arered and the ball-lights are white, the position of the ball and its line of travel can be readily distinguished from the movement of the runner, and should he reach the first-base safely, the red light will continue to burn at first, whereas if the rightlielder should pick up the ball and throw it to iirst in time to cut o thelrunner, then the green light at first would be displayed indicating that the batter is put out at first. By having these successive lines of light indicating the line of travel of the ball we are able to indicate every movement of the ball exactly as it takes place upon the eld, and at the same time we are able to showthe movements of all the runners.

In addition to the lights indicating positions and plays we provide a series of lights E opposite the names of the players, a series F indicating the strikes, a series G indicat-4 ing balls, and a series for the purpose of indicatin any other terms emplo ed in the game. stood that all of these lamps are connected electrically with the switch-board, from which the lights are operated according to instructions concerning the game being played and in Fig. 2 we have indicated the general construction of such switch-board vand for the purpose of clearness of illustration we have omitted the wire-connections between the contact plates of the switchboard and the lamps. In the switch-board we have shown a plurality of contact plates I which are arranged in series corresponding with the series of lights shown on the board in Fig. 1, and as the red lights and the white lights'are the only ones arranged in series they are the only ones which we have shown arranged upon the switch-board as the green lights and the series indicating strikes,

balls, etc., are operated by separate switches V which may be of any preferred construction, but inasmuch as the red and white lights are arranged in series which at places cross each other we provide a novel form of circuit closer which travels along over its articular series of lights successively openlng and closing the circuits and consequently providing for a traveling light which will indicate the position of the ball or the runner, and in practice we prefer as before stated, to arrange the contact plates l in regular series and we have designated them by the same reference letters which indicate the series of lights on the board. Upon opposite ow, 1t will of course e under-l sides of each series of Contact plates are the guide-rails K which to save wiring are connected with the ground.

Moving between each pair of guide-rails K is a block L having grooves L into which the rails it and each block L carries a springactuated contact-point M which is provided with a suitable handle M at its upper end and which is provided with a recess M2 intended to receive a springactuated llocking pin M3 for the purpose of holding contact-point M down into contact with the terminal contact plate I which indicates the ultimate position of the ball or the fate of the runner, each terminal contact plate being slightly lower than the other plates in the series, and by terminal contact plate is meant the plate at the end of any series or the plate at the juncture of any two series. Now in order to provide the traveling light, the block carrying the contact point is simply moved down over the series of contact-plates and as it moves along the lights are cut in and out producing a realistic representation of the movement of the ball. At the same time another movable contact is caused to travel along its particular series to vindicate the travel of the runner, and the ultimate fate of the ball or runner is indicated at the proper time by pushing down upon a handle and giving a quarter turn, so as to bring the spring pinM3 into therecess M2.

Two operators will be sufficient for the manipulation of the switch-boards, and ,by moving the traveling contacts synchronously, the game of base-ball can be most graphically and realistically represented upon the board.

Having' thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is In apparatus of the yclass described, a score board, series of electric lamps on said board indicating the courses ofthe runners in a game of ase-ball, series ofvelectric lamps on said board indicating the courses of a ball in a game of base-ball, said two series being arranged in parallel lines between determinate points on the board to simultaneously indicate the courses of a runner and the ball between said points, and

the lamps in said series being separately connected in normally open electric circuits', and means to successively light the lamps contained in each series by successively completing their respective circuits.

HERBERT B. L. TAGGART. OLIVER VB. WORTMAN.

Witnesses:

CHARLES H. MULLEN, I. A. STRINGFELLOW. 

